Promise
by Fyrewing of CinderClan
Summary: What if Jacob Black had died in Eclipse? A story of how one simple promise, overheard by the wrong person, can change the course of destiny forever. A moment of trust...and a lifetime of payback. Jacob x Bella.
1. Prologue

Prologue: My Space Heater

_It was warm, at least. I supposed, in the end, as his too-warm temperature eclipsed all the cold of the storm, I didn't really mind after all. My consciousness was floating in a warm limbo between relief and embarrassment, and I was careful not to let it lean too far one way or another._

_"Jealous, bloodsucker?" Jacob teased again. I could feel icy disapproval emanating from Edward as he carefully kept his distance. Maybe for once I could understand how his self-control, which was usually so impeccable around me, might slip. Jacob was being so unnecessarily irritating._

_"Of course I am," Edward said. At least he was being honest, even though it didn't really matter; Jacob didn't need to be a private eye detective to know the truth. "Quite frankly, it's all I can do not to tear out your throat right now. You're very lucky Bella is here."_

_"If Bella weren't here, neither would I," Jacob pointed out, making a point of rubbing his cheek against my hair. "As it turns out, things are working very well for me." I considered reprimanding him, but he was so warm..._

_"Stupid pup," Edward muttered, quite uncharacteristically. Then, suddenly, he jumped to his feet, head bent so he was just brushing the roof of the tent. I couldn't see him, but I could picture the expression on his face; intent, listening to something other than Jacob, whose body had tensed against me. "Seth?" he called out after a moment._

_A loud growl sounded from outside, followed by a high-pitched yelp that went trailing into the distance._

_Edward gasped. "No, Seth! Get back here!" I heard the tent flap unzip in a quick, loud buzz; then, without bothering to inform either Jacob or me what was going on, Edward ghosted out the opening and practically flew out of sight._

_Cold, icy air flowed in through the open flap, but none of it touched Jacob or me. "What's going on?" I managed to murmur. Jacob jerked in surprise - he'd thought I was asleep._

_"I don't know, Bella," he responded, stroking my hair. I could feel the tension in his movements. "I can't phase...I dunno what's going on. Must be something big, for the bloodsucker to go streaking off like that." His voice, harsh with tension, betrayed what he wasn't saying - he wanted badly to follow Edward and Seth._

_"You want to go after them," I said. It wasn't a question._

_"No." I knew he was lying, and I felt guilty for keeping him here. But Edward had left - and with him in danger, I couldn't possibly let Jacob go after him. "I won't leave you, Bella," he promised, and that wasn't a lie._

_Even though every fiber of my being was protesting against what I was about to say, I had to say it. "Go, Jacob. Just for a minute, so you can phase and figure out what's going on."_

_He hesitated; that in itself was a significant gauge of how worried he was. "I can't leave you alone..."_

_"I'll be fine, Jacob," I lied, even though all of my cells were bracing for the relentless cold that would come after he was gone. "Just for a minute."_

_Jacob sighed, but I could feel his relief. "Thanks, Bella." He unzipped the sleeping bag and wriggled out, cursing as soon as he touched the cold floor. "Shit, that's cold!"_

_"Thought you were a space heater," I teased, even though cold air was already filling the empty space in the sleeping bag._

_"I am," he said immediately, getting to his feet. "Just the shock." His black eyes glinted with worry as he looked down at me. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"_

_"I'm FINE," I repeated. "GO, Jake."_

_With a last regretful glance back, he climbed out through the tent flap, zipping it up carefully after him. A few minutes passed before I heard the telltale explosion of the phase - and then a long, loud howl of pure fury._

_"JAKE!" I screamed, unable to tell whether he was in pain or not._

_The moments felt like hours as I struggled vainly to escape the sleeping bag - the zipper was stuck. About that same time was when the shivering started - again, I was freezing cold. Then all of the breath escaped my chest in a relieved whoosh as the tent flap unzipped and Jacob's face appeared through the gap._

_But the relief vanished as I realized his eyes were wild with pain and guilt. "Sam's in trouble - I've got to go - " He was panting like he was still in wolf form, and I could tell he wanted badly to phase again. The black depths cleared for a moment, just a split second, and his voice was agonized. "I'm so sorry, Bella - I - I can't - "_

_"Jacob," I cried, reaching out for him, even as my white skin blistered with cold. It was the wrong thing to do - the pain on his face intensified. An agonized growl erupted from his chest as his whole body shook._

_"I promise, Bella," he said fiercely, grabbing both my hands and holding them in the vicelike grip I knew so well. "I promise...I swear I'll come back. And Bella, if I don't...I'll always, always love you."_

_I felt like I couldn't speak - sudden feeling erupted in me, my mind clearing suddenly as I realized that I knew. "Me too, Jake," I whispered, squeezing his hands weakly. "Me too."_

_"Goodbye," he hissed roughly, and then he was gone._

_It felt like hours. Hours upon hours, crossing into days, then weeks, then years...years of shivering and cold and fear and pain and memory of his agonized face. The tears freezing on my face in twin streaks as I thought of them. My Edward, my Jacob...out there in the storm and battle...fighting to save me, and only me, as I huddled alone and maybe froze to death in this little prison cell._

_And then, a voice._

_"Bella?"_

_But it wasn't either of the ones I had been waiting for. Little Seth Clearwater unzipped the tent and pushed his way through the opening, looking very relieved to see me curled up in a shivering ball in my sleeping bag, still alive in a sense. "Bella? Are you okay?"_

_My throat felt like pebbly gravel and I wasn't sure if I could speak. I now realized that the storm had dimmed down a little; it wasn't so cold anymore, and my shivering had toned down a bit. Seth's comfortable werewolf body temperature helped, too. Finally I managed to cough out something close to normal human speech. "Where's Jacob and Edward?"_

_Seth looked uneasy. Like this was a question he didn't want to answer. "They're still fighting," he muttered finally, staring at his bare feet._

_"Still fighting?" I was stunned. "But...it's been so long..."_

_He now looked surprised. "Only an hour..."_

_I'd miscounted time in my dreadful state. But, still, a whole hour._

_"Why aren't you with them?" I demanded hoarsely. "Why aren't you fighting?" I knew it was unfair, that none of this was Seth Clearwater's fault, but he was one less fighter for our side._

_"They made me come back to see if you were okay." His voice was still low and shameful. "They didn't want me fighting anyway. Leah gets to fight, but not me."_

_"Is Sam all right?" The last thing I remembered clearly was Jacob saying something about Sam in trouble._

_Seth carefully averted my gaze, staring first up at the ceiling, then at each wall of the tent. "He's hurt," he muttered unwillingly._

_"How badly?" At least it wasn't Jacob or Edward. I reprimanded myself quickly for thinking something like that. Sam Uley was the last person the werewolves could afford to lose._

_"Not too bad. Your bloodsucker doctor is looking after him."_

_Carlisle and Sam were both out of the fight? No wonder it was taking so long. How could we win now? My head swam and I struggled to focus on other things. "Are Jacob and Edward okay?"_

_"They were all right when I left. But I've got to phase to know for sure." His eyes strayed longingly back out into the storm._

_I nodded fiercely. "Phase, then. I've got to know they're okay."_

_Seth gave me a grateful glance. "All right." He turned back toward the tent flap, his gaze straying back to me. "Stay here, okay? They'll kill me if you leave."_

_"I will," I promised, waving. Maybe it was a little too enthusiastic; he sent me a suspicious look, but then ran back out into the storm. Moments later I heard the telltale ripping of fabric._

_Crawling out of my sleeping bag, I picked up the parka that lay on the floor of the tent. The solid layer of ice had melted, whether in Jacob's or Seth's heat, I couldn't tell. Shaking off the worst of the water, I put it on. It helped almost immediately, though of course it was still cold._

_I had lied to Seth. There was no way I was going to stay here any longer, with not only Jacob and Edward in danger, but Sam Uley as well. If I had to pull a third-wife sacrifice, I would. It didn't matter to me any more. And maybe the run through the forest would warm me up._

_Seth was already gone when I poked my head cautiously out of the tent flap. I could only see for a little ways through the swirling blizzard of ice and snow. Again my teeth started chattering of their own accord, but at least I wasn't nearly as cold as earlier in the night._

_But which way would I go?_

_If I had been a vampire or a werewolf, I could have followed Seth's trail, but I was only a weak, helpless human. The snow had long since covered up any tracks. I blinked furiously, wiping snow from my face, staring through the relentless white. "JACOB! EDWARD!" I shouted, but the wind whipped my voice away like a rag doll. I could barely hear myself._

_But then something rose above the howling wind, something loud and plaintive, filled with pain and fear. A wolf's howl._

_"JACOB!" I called again, and staggered blindly through the storm._

_I never knew how I managed to keep going. Every time I felt like I had to stop, like there was no possible way I was going in the right direction, I heard another sound - a howl, a snarl, even a hideous cracking sound that sounded like a million trees breaking. Once I thought I even heard Emmett's familiar roar over the wind, or Alice's high yowling._

_And finally, finally, I reached the clearing._

_It was a nightmare. A massacre. At first I only saw the scattered white chunks and spots of red trailing across the snow - undoubtedly werewolf blood, since vampires didn't bleed - and then I could make out the vague, blurred shapes of my friends. The first person I saw was Jasper, at the forefront of the fight, expertly ripping newborns to pieces. Then I saw Alice and Esme fighting back-to-back in a spinning circle, slashing out at anything that came near. _

_But there were so many newborns._

_Even with my limited skill on the battlefield, I could see that we were on the defensive. Even Carlisle, his fair face twisted in fury, was slowly backing up until he was level with Alice and Esme - swiftly dodging an attack that connected thunderously with a tree, he shot between the two females to slice at the feet of another newborn. Emmett was giving bearlike roars of fury as he swung this way and that, brunt strength clashing with that of the newborns. Rosalie was a few yards away - I watched as she sped toward him, leaped onto his back, and defended the rear._

_Wait - if Carlisle was here, fighting, where was Sam Uley?_

_Then I saw the enormous, black, huddled shape at the edge of the clearing in a pool of blood. When Seth had told me that Carlisle was looking after Sam, I had assumed that he had taken him back to the reservation, out of harm's way. But Carlisle wasn't taking care of him, and Sam...did that mean he was dead?_

_And where was Edward?_

_The wind changed course - I barely noticed as my hair started blowing into my face rather than back. Then I realized that the new breeze was carrying my scent straight down into the clearing. All at one time, like an army of robots, the newborns looked up simultaneously, and so did my vampire family._

_"NO!" someone screamed, and I realized it was Alice. She and Esme soared over to the snow to me at the same time, taking identical defensive positions on either side of me. "What the hell are you doing here, Bella?" Alice demanded furiously. Esme was too busy fending off a ravenous newborn, his face twisted with hunger, to add anything._

_"I...Jacob said...Sam..." I couldn't explain myself clearly enough. Changing the topic quickly, I asked with equal fervor, "Where's Edward?"_

_"Edward?" Alice repeated, shock crossing her perfect features. "He's supposed to be with you!"_

_"No, Alice, he left! He...he came here to fight...something...about Sam..." I let my gaze flicker toward the huddled black mass at the edge of the clearing. Alice didn't bother to look - she knew what I was looking at._

_"He never showed up!" Esme cried, thrusting the newborn vampire away with such force that he flew halfway across the clearing, to be dealt with swiftly by Emmett and Rosalie. "What...what about Seth and Jacob?"_

_Words died on my tongue. Neither Esme or Alice knew anything. "What's going on?" I asked dully. It seemed the only reasonable question to ask in this sort of situation._

_Esme bit her lip. Of course it didn't bleed. Her honey-blond hair was encrusted with snow and her pale skin looked even whiter than usual. "Edward and Seth were supposed to stay with you. The plan was that Jacob would stay for a bit, and then go to the Quileutes and fight. Where did they go, Bella?"_

_"I don't KNOW!" I wailed, exhaustion and cold threatening to overcome me. Alice caught me before my knees hit the ground and helped me stand upright, her topaz eyes wide with fear. "Seth - Seth went running off and Edward went after him. He thought I was safe with Jake...but Jake...something...Sam..." I took a deep breath, forcing myself to make sense. "Jake went outside to phase and see what was going on. He said Sam was in trouble...and he left...but shouldn't he have come here? And then Seth came back...he said Jacob and Edward were fighting...and he left to phase...and I came here."_

_Alice shook her head angrily, her spiky black hair standing out in a contrasting halo around her perfect face. "Jeez, Bella! Why'd you come here? Why'd you leave - " She whirled around and struck out with a pale arm, sending a newborn stumbling back into Esme's fatal grip._

_"Alice, can you see anything?" I asked desperately. "Where's Jacob and Edward?"_

_Alice closed her eyes for a moment as Esme defended all three of us. A moment later she opened them. "I can't see them. Edward - Edward must be mixed up with the wolves. Hang on, Bella - Bella, stay!"_

_I wasn't even sure how I'd gotten there, but I was standing at the edge of the trees. Alice was standing next to me in less than a second, and her high voice pealed out across the clearing. "JASPER!"_

_Jasper was suddenly there, his tawny hair caked with snow, topaz eyes still wild with the fury of battle. Esme ran back into the clearing to take his place in the fray. "Bella?" he croaked with surprise when he spotted me. "Oh, no - Bella, you've got to get out of here!" Even as he spoke I could tell that his heightened war senses were catching up to him as he strained away from me, biting his lip so sharply I almost expected to see blood._

_Alice grabbed my shoulders and pulled me around to face her. Over my shoulder she hissed something so fast to Jasper I couldn't understand it. Almost immediately, an unnatural calm began to flood through me. I wanted to glare at Jasper, but of course I couldn't rustle up enough mutiny to do so. "Bella," Alice said urgently, "if Jasper's like this, imagine how much worse the newborns will be."_

_I knew she was right - already the newborns were darting up the hill toward us. Jasper was almost invisible as he flitted in a defensive line in front of me and Alice. At least the newborns were distracted as Rosalie, Esme, Carlisle, and Emmett attacked them from the sides and behind. Who knew - Jasper's plan had come into play after all._

_"Alice, you've got to fight!" I yelled at her, trying to shove her towards the newborns. It was like pushing on a stone wall. "They need you!"_

_Alice's eyes were shut tight. The expression on her face was very calm and focused. After an eternity she opened them and looked at me. "Edward's not with the wolves anymore."_

_My focus shifted immediately. "Where is he, Alice?" I shouted, trying to shake her. Needless to say, it didn't work. "What's going on?"_

_"He's coming here," Alice said bluntly._

_"Is he okay? Is he hurt? Is he alone? Is he coming to get me or to fight?" The questions poured out of my mouth like water. Alice winced at the hysterical tone in my voice._

_"He's - "_

_But she never got to answer. Above the loud, grisly growls and snarling coming from the vampires, a long, loud wolf howl emanated from the woods. And out into the clearing exploded the Quileute pack._

_At their head was one of the people I wanted to see more than anything else - Edward. His sparkling skin glistened in the wintry sunlight as he ghosted across the snow, cutting down newborns in his wake. But why had Alice said he wasn't with the wolves? The Quileutes poured out into the clearing behind him, reducing the odds in our favor within seconds._

_Where was Jacob?_

_The werewolves were moving fast, but nowhere in their midst could I spot the familiar reddish-brown hue of my friend's fur. Dread sank in again as I realized it wasn't over. It wouldn't be over until I found Jacob._

_In just a few moments, the newborns were gone. Glistening white chunks were strewn over the snow. Out of nowhere, Embry and Quil were walking in their human forms with torches in their hands - where had they come from? In minutes the clearing was ablaze._

_"Bella."_

_I turned slowly to gaze up at his angel's face. "EDWARD!" Throwing my arms around him, I didn't care that he was just as cold as the snow. I didn't care that my shivering started up again just about when I touched him. I didn't care that once again, my relieved tears were freezing on my face. I was just so, so glad that he was there._

_It seemed an eternity before I could bring myself to pull away. "Wh-wh-where's J-Jacob?" I stuttered. Edward moved forward as if he wanted to put his hand on my shoulder, but drew back at the last moment. The expression in his topaz eyes was suddenly impossible to bear._

_"Where's Jacob?" I repeated._

_His self-control vanished as he crushed me to his stone chest again. "Oh, Bella..."_

_"EDWARD!" I shouted through blinding tears. "WHERE'S JACOB?"_

_"Bella, I'm sorry..."_

_"Jacob," I whispered._

_And the blackness took me._


	2. Chapter One: He's Gone?

**Okay, this chapter almost made me tear up writing. I'm so emotional...anyway, I really have no idea what the inside of the Cullen's house looks like, except of course for Edward's room, and I'm too lazy to look it up. So enjoy the errors.**

Chapter One: He's Gone?

What a terrible, terrible dream.

That was my first thought when I woke in my own bed, sunbeams slanting through the window. Was it Saturday? Yes, it must be. I shivered, even though the sheets were warm. The fight was today.

Slowly, reluctantly, I folded back the covers to my waist and sat up, giving a wide yawn before looking around the familiar bedroom. Where was Edward? Shouldn't he be here? He was going to take me somewhere...I couldn't remember where. The horrible nightmare had driven everything else out of my head.

_Stop being silly, Bella,_ I told myself firmly. _Edward will be okay. He's going to stay with me. And Jake...he'll be all right, too._

But there was still something wrong here. Anywhere without Edward was the wrong place to be.

"Edward?" I whispered softly. If Edward were here, he would be able to hear easily, although Charlie wouldn't even if his ear was pressed against my door. When there was no answer, I repeated, a little louder, "Edward? Where are you?"

Still only silence met my voice. Giving a little sigh of displeasure, I swung my legs out of bed, wincing as my feet thudded against the frigid floorboards. It reminded me of the tent floor in my nightmare. It had been so vivid, so real...I could still feel the freezing cold of the snowstorm, the wild cries of the battle, the long howls of grief...

No. Just - no. I would _not_ think about that today. It wouldn't happen.

I put my weight onto my already frozen feet, rising from the bed - and crumpled to the floor, gasping, as my legs gave out beneath me. "Oh!" The pain was incredible. It felt like a bear had been gnawing on my shins as I slept, and my feet were even worse; they felt like chunks of solid lead. Surely my ankles were broken, or they couldn't hurt this badly.

In an instant, I felt a freezing touch on my shoulders and was picked up and set swiftly back onto the bed, in one smooth movement. A familiar black-haired girl plopped down next to me, her brows creased in worry. "Are you okay, Bella?"

"Alice," I said in relief, though I was a little disappointed, too. I had hoped Edward would be the one to greet me this morning. "No, actually, I'm not fine. My feet hurt like hell."

Then I noticed her expression. She was watching me warily, like I might spontaneously combust at any moment. Like I was a live grenade. Instantly I had a flashback of Jacob teaching me to ride a motorcycle, and for some strange, inexplicable reason, that hurt even more than my feet. "What's wrong, Alice?" I croaked, wincing.

Surprise flashed across her face briefly - and then it was gone, so swiftly that I might have just imagined it. "Nothing," Alice murmured a little too quickly. "How are you feeling, Bella?" It was the type of question that went two ways, and both of us knew it. I wasn't surprised that she was asking - it was a Cullen-ish thing to do.

"Nervous, I guess," I admitted. "The big fight's today...and I'm scared for you and everyone else." I threw myself into a spontaneous hug, which, surprisingly, Alice did not return. It was like embracing a brick wall. Then, a little too late, she gave my shoulders a quick little squeeze and pulled away. Something was wrong.

Suddenly Alice's face went blank and emotionless, her eyes fixed on something far away. I recognized the look - but I wasn't expecting her reaction afterwards. Horror drew her eyes wide for a moment; then shock, resolve, and finally, perfectly nondescript blankness.

"What's wrong, Alice?" I asked, yet again. She opened her mouth to answer, but I interrupted her. "C'mon, Alice, I know you just got a vision. Tell me." My voice was growing high with anxiety.

"It was nothing, Bella," she insisted, giving me another hug that seemed more superficial than anything. "Charlie's coming up the stairs." Sure enough, I could hear my dad's familiar tramp - but surely just that couldn't have caused that kaleidoscope of emotions to flit across Alice's face. A moment later, there was a series of knocks on my bedroom door.

"Come in, Dad," I called. The door opened hesitantly; Charlie peered round the edge. He looked surprised to see Alice.

"Oh, hey, Alice. I didn't hear you come in."

"The door was unlocked," Alice admitted, "so I invited myself in. Very sorry to intrude, Officer Swan, but I thought I'd better come up."

"Sure, it's fine, Alice." Charlie was nowhere near as good at hiding his emotions as Alice. He looked at me, and written across his face was that same wariness Alice had worn this morning, only magnified tenfold. "Bella...how are you feeling, honey?"

It was the same question Alice had asked. With some degree of irritation, I replied, "I'm fine, Dad. Just going shopping with Alice today, like I told you."

Charlie shot a swift, questioning glance at Alice, who shook her head ever so slightly. Then he turned back to me. "Uh...okay, Bella." His voice was gruff with some barely concealed emotion. "You girls better go, then. I'll...see you later. Alice...can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

Alice nodded. A little surprised, I hobbled on my sore feet to the door. I contemplated listening at the keyhole - but Alice would know in an instant that I was there. With a sigh, I continued on downstairs.

**Alice's POV:**

I listened to Bella limping down the stairs, making sure that her footsteps faded away before turning back to Charlie. I waited politely for him to begin the conversation, all the while knowing exactly what he would say.

"She doesn't remember anything?" Charlie asked quietly, still staring at the floor. I didn't need Jasper's ability to feel the sadness pulsing off him in waves. It was amazing Bella hadn't detected anything.

"I guess not," I said regretfully. Charlie looked a little skeptical, so I hastened to explain. "My brother, Jasper, is sort of an expert on the human psyche, as it were. He believes that the mind has an odd tendency to repress events that it doesn't wish to remember, although it must inevitably come out somehow, whether in dreams or flashbacks. I guess, in Bella's case, that's what's happening."

"Maybe it's for the best," Charlie croaked. I was startled and a little nervous to see that a tear was slipping down his rough cheek. In a choked voice he continued, "Jacob was such a good kid...I know you Cullens didn't go in much for him, but he was a good kid. We'll all miss him. Billy's devastated..."

"We'll miss him too, Charlie," I said softly. In a way, it was true. Once Bella either remembered or was reminded of what had happened, her grief would affect all of us. Even if he was just a werewolf..."None of us will ever forget what he did for Bella. Edward especially."

Charlie held out his arms and pulled me forward into an unexpected hug. I tried to put all the sincerity and regret I could into the simple gesture, and maybe it worked. "You're a good kid too, Alice," Charlie murmured gruffly, and then I left him standing alone in the empty room, following Bella down the dusty staircase.

**Bella's POV:**

The drive to the Cullen estate was a long one. I was too nervous to pay attention to the music playing, even though it was one of me and Edward's favorite bands. At the same time, I could feel that disguised emotion sparking in the air between Alice and I. It was infuriating, the way that I couldn't figure out what it was, but I knew that it was something deeply wrong.

After an eternity, the truck pulled up in the Cullens' driveway. Alice's gaze hadn't wavered a centimeter from the road the whole time, even though I knew she could probably drive one-handed and blindfolded if she wanted to. Possibly she was using the driving as an excuse not to talk to me. It was strange and infuriating; Alice and Charlie seemed to be both in on whatever it was, but I was the only one out of the loop.

The front door of the house opened before the truck was even stopped all the way, and Esme peered out. Strangely, she was dressed all in black; she was wearing a formal black blouse and carefully ironed designer black slacks. It contrasted vividly with her white skin. "Hello, Bella," she called, opening the door all the way and stepping carefully onto the porch. The black sequined heels she was wearing were so high that if she weren't a vampire, she would probably trip and break her ankle with the first step.

_Strange outfit to wear right before a battle,_ I noted silently in my mind. It fit in with all the strangeness going on with Alice and Charlie today; and, sure enough, I could see that same wary expression on Esme's face that was growing uncomfortably familiar. Before I could say anything, Alice skipped up beside me and hissed something so fast to Esme that I couldn't make out any individual words. Esme looked surprised; Alice put her finger to her lips and led me inside.

The inside of the Cullen mansion was wearing the same somber decoration as Esme today. Black curtains draped over most of the sun-colored walls, blanketing the light and making the house seem like it really belonged to vampires. I stepped into the family room, hoping for a little more upbeat decoration, but this room had been covered in black, too.

"Who died?" I hissed to Alice. She looked so shocked and horrified that I stepped back in surprise, but the expression immediately melted away to be replaced by the blankness that I was growing accustomed to by now.

"Calm down, Bella," came a familiar voice. The door in the southeast corner of the room had opened; Jasper stepped through it, followed by Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle in single file. Alice immediately darted across the room and was somehow folded in Jasper's arms before I could blink. "We'll explain everything," Jasper continued in that flat, emotionless voice, pressing his chin into the top of Alice's spiky black hair.

"Where's Edward?" I queried, disappointed at the absence of my favorite Cullen family member. "What do you mean, explain?"

As if in response to my questions, Edward himself stepped through the door and was, in the same instant, at my side. His voice was thick with unexpected pain. "Bella, I'm so sorry," he began. "You're so _confused_."

"Confused about what?" I demanded, refusing to return his embrace, even though I _so_ wanted to. "Come on, I _know_ you guys aren't telling me something. What's going on? Is it something about the fight? Are there more than we expected?"

Alice and Jasper exchanged a look full of pain. Esme made a move forward, but Carlisle took her shoulder gently in his pale hands and stopped her. Emmett and Rosalie just stared.

And Edward, my perfect Edward, looked even more agonized than before.

"Remember, Bella," he whispered.

And I suddenly _did_ remember.

"He's gone?"

Edward nodded wordlessly and hugged me closer.

**OMG, I feel like crying. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, even though nothing of importance really happened. I promise the next chapter will be more eventful.**


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